Live And Let Die
by kywang8
Summary: Cammie Morgan is bored. She's living at her grandparent's house & she's not going to be going to the Gallagher Academy anytime soon. Everything changes when the COC arrive at her grandparent's house. Could this be Cammie's last mission ever? Find out here
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Cammie POV

I was desperately bored. I was stuck at my grandparent's house doing absolutely nothing while my best friends and all of my classmates were at Gallagher Academy learning just about everything about being spies and going on cool secret missions. Even my mom, headmistress of Gallagher Academy, was there and of course Joe Solomon, who everyone said was the hottest teacher at Gallagher Academy. Of course, I wouldn't know that because I couldn't see whether he'd changed over summer break or not. Because I was here. At my grandparent's house.

Don't get me wrong, I love my grandparents. But unfortunately, they're not spies and so of course they don't know the secret. You know, the huge one that is just about my whole life! Yeah, that one.

Despite what my grandma thinks, chocolate chip oatmeal cookies don't solve many problems. As a matter of fact, I can smell them right now. She'll be in the kitchen right now, baking a fresh batch because she suspects I'm sad. That assumption would be absolutely, utterly, CORRECT!

She will be coming to find me in a few minutes and then I'll be trapped in the kitchen, eating chocolate chip oatmeal cookies until I feel like bursting. To tell you the truth, I'm getting pretty sick of cookies. Especially the chocolate chip oatmeal cookie kind. You think you can't ever be sick of eating cookies? Over the last five days I have had, literally, seven batches of chocolate chip oatmeal cookies and one batch of sugar cookies with smiley faces on them. I broke those smiley faces in half and made my own sad faces. I am beginning to HATE cookies.

My grandma is now coming upstairs to find me. I can hear her slippered feet thumping softly on the stairs. She really shouldn't be coming upstairs. But I can't go downstairs right now and pretend to be all happy and eat cookies. So, I climb into my new favorite hiding space. Like any spy who happens to be stuck in some old barn during the school spy year, I have spent almost half my time here exploring. The other half has been spent stuffing myself with cookies. Mostly the chocolate chip oatmeal cookie kind. Anyways… I found several great hiding spots. Right now, I was hiding in one of my favorite ones. Unless you were a super flexible super spy (or a Gallagher Girl) you wouldn't be able to get up here. Since I was vain enough to classify myself as both a super flexible super spy **and **a Gallagher Girl it was pretty easy getting up to my hideout. Basically it was in the loft. But the ladder that had been propped up there was hideous and looked as if it were going to fall to pieces if you even tried to step on it, so I didn't trust it. Instead, I had found several handholds in the old, warped wood which I used to climb halfway up and then inched over to my left just enough so I could reach the coil of rope I had swung up there on my second day here. The coil wasn't very long though, so that was why I had to use the handholds to get far enough off the ground to reach the rope. Once I had the rope I tested it with a quick tug and then pulled myself up. Once on the loft I had found a large window with only a screen across it to keep the bugs out. If you moved the screen (you put it back on later… I made that mistake only once, the bugs were horrible!) you could climb out the window and onto the roof. The roof was great because you could see what was happening in the barn and everywhere else but nobody could see you. Looking through the window you were invisible unless somebody climbed up to the loft and you could also look on the other side above the roof and see anybody outside in the front yard and of course, they couldn't see you! It was by far my favorite hiding spot.

It was then that I glanced around and saw the black cars with tinted windows pull into the driveway.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Cammie POV

It felt like a scene from a movie. I saw the cars pull up. The black cars with deeply tinted windows that were so tinted I didn't think you would be able to see inside even if your face happened to be pressed up to the window. And from the look of the shining cars the people who owned them probably wouldn't let you press up against the windows. Your nose could create a smudge.

I half expected James Bond to open the door and step out. Unfortunately, he didn't. Instead a woman from my worst nightmares did.

In a flash I heard her screechy voice yelling, "Get her!" while Macey (one of my very best friends) and I fought men with black ski masks over their faces and beefy arms. Then, Zach (my boyfr- was he really a boyfriend?) in a underground passage with me and then, the woman appearing and revealing the most shocking secret… no not the **woman**, Zach's **mom**. Then, the most painful memory of all. A van sliding into the curb and a man shooting my dear Aunt Abby… then, "You?" asked the man as he stared at Zach. Then, the van roaring away from the curb.

I was brought back to reality as I heard the muffled thumps of car doors opening and slamming shut from my hiding spot on the roof. The lady said something that I couldn't hear and pointed towards the house. Men and women dressed in black began fanning out and rushing towards the house.

My first thought, embarrassingly, was of myself. Would they find me or was I hidden to well for them to see me? Then, reality kicked in. My grandparents! They were in the house. No doubt grandma had gone downstairs after not being able to find me and grandpa was probably down there reading the newspaper at the kitchen table.

"Dang it!" I yelled. Oops! I probably shouldn't have done that. A man in the barn below seemed to have heard me and he raced into my room and peered around. I watched him from my rooftop hide away. I was so immersed in watching him (he was now slowly climbing the ladder and it was sure to fall as soon as he hit the sixth rung) that I almost didn't hear the quiet creak of the roof door. Almost.

Crud! They were going to find me any minute now, and then, then I'd be caught and all would be lost. At the very least I could save my grandparents.

I searched the roof for anything useful. All I got was a few loose shingles and they weren't even brick because, obviously, I was on a **barn **roof. There were only two options. Two ways to go. Either I could go back the way I had come (into the loft and down, where I'd almost surely be caught) or, I could jump off the roof. Neither option seemed especially in my favor. Captured or captured with possible breaks and scratches.

I chose to be captured. As if to signify I had chosen the correct path the man who had been climbing the ladder fell down with a thump followed by a yelp and another muffled thump as the ladder creaked and fell on the poor man. Leaping up I jumped through the window (I didn't bother to put back the screen… I should have) and snatched up the rope. For a second I was flying. Then the rope cut off and I felt the jolt seeming to dislocate my shoulder. I let myself fall and like a cat I landed on all fours. Unfortunately, (for the man beneath me, not myself) I landed on the man. He let out an "Ooof!" and I gripped the last rung of the fallen ladder and propelled myself forward. "Sorry!" I called back over my shoulder at the man I had… ahhhh… landed on. _"Nice going Cammie," _I thought to myself as I ran down the hallway. _"Saying sorry to a man that was trying to kill you." _

I rushed past rooms only sparing quick glances to the side. I was running as fast as I ever had before but I could hear the crashing footsteps of burly men gaining on me.

I could see other men and women in black inspecting other rooms looking… looking for what? Me. I realized what they were looking for. Me. How stupid could they be. Here I was! Right here! Look behind you! You great bumbling oafs! I felt laughter unexpectedly bubbling in me and like a massive waterfall it bubbled out spontaneously. This of course did nothing helpful for me. All it did was create an even bigger stitch in my side from running and probably make the bad guys (meaning the men chasing me) think that I was going crazy. I was beginning to doubt my sanity myself.

I ran faster now and swung into a room I knew had an exit. I had no idea where I was running to but all I knew was that I had to get myself** and **my grandparents out of this mess.

As I ran a loud bullhorn cut through my thoughts of escaping. "CAMERON MORGAN," the bullhorn bellowed in the woman's scratchy voice, "CAMERON MORGAN WE HAVE YOUR GRANDPARENTS. SURRENDER NOW AND WE WILL LEAVE THEM UNHARMED." I listened as a long, dramatic pause which I'm sure was meant to be menacing was drawn out. Then, "IF YOU CHOOSE NOT TO SURRENDER, BOTH OF YOUR GRANDPARENTS WILL BE KILLED." The woman chuckled into the bullhorn.

I ran past a window and caught a glimpse of her. She was in a lace dress which I had no doubt concealed countless hidden weapons. But the bullhorn was a loud, bright red which did no help with that hideous fashion statement. Ugh!

The **ugly** (haha she had that coming!) woman spoke again into the bullhorn, "AND LET ME TELL YOU **CAMERON **WE JUST **LOOOOVE **SLOW DEATHS."

I was still fuming at her ridiculous exaggeration of my first name and as I ran through the house I spotted her through windows, smiling openly. I didn't see my grandparents but they were probably locked in the jet black cars behind her. Venting my frustration, I screamed as loud as I possibly could at her, "YOU LITTLE BEEP!" Except I didn't say beep. Then several more choice words and I ran through the halls desperately trying to think of a plan to save myself and the people I loved.


	3. Chapter 3

**I am sooooo happy! For all the people who read my story out there thank you sooooo much! 57 people have already viewed my story and I only posted it yesterday! Thanks so much! You guys are great! Every time I get a notification from fanfiction I just get so happy! Thanks! **** I'll try to keep posting for all of you guys and I'll try and read your stories too!**

**Now it's time to introduce Zach!**

**Chapter 3**

Zach POV

Okay, so I'm speeding along in my new car perfectly enjoying the feel of the breeze (I had gotten a convertible) and the soft purr of the engine when WHAM! Some guy cuts me off!

Of all the places I've been to, the place with the worst drivers? Miami. As in Miami, Florida. The people who drive here are either crazy as heck, suicidal, or just plain stupid. I think it might all of the above. Of course try telling that to one of those bad Miami drivers and they'd probably punch you in the face.

I honked half-heartedly at the guy but he completely ignored me. I was heading to the airport on a straight flight to Tennessee. That was where Cammie was and since she was stuck at her grandparent's house doing nothing I supposed she wouldn't mind a surprise visit.

I was bored anyway. Lately the Circle of Caven (COC) hadn't been doing anything (according to Joe Solomon) and I had nothing to do. So I was going to visit possibly my favorite person in the world. Cammie. Of course, I would never tell her that. She'd hold it against me until the day I died. This, with what I was normally doing, could happen very soon. Me dead I mean.

I contemplated how Cammie's face would look when she opened the door and found me standing there. I could just imagine the quick flicker of emotions run through her face, making her seem almost comical. "Hey Gallagher Girl," I would say casually. As if I appeared on her doorstep everyday.

I flicked my hair away. It had grown out to long but I had wondered whether Cammie would like it so I had left it that way.

A big truck pulled in front of me, filled with mulch chips. _Oops!_ I thought as several mulch chips hit the wind shield and scratched it. I vaguely heard the pinging of other chips hitting the side of the car and scratching the paint from it. Several flew into the car through the open convertible top and probably left some damage there to. Well, at least the car wasn't mine. As a matter of fact it belonged to one Robert Anderson. He was a big, balding man who had a big pot belly and needed a shave. Apparently, the car made him feel younger. Well, he would get it back. Eventually. Of course it would have some scratches but nothing that couldn't be fixed with a quick paint job and a trip to the local car garage.

And of course the police wouldn't find a trace of me there. Not a fingerprint on the steering wheel, a footprint on the gas or brake pedal, not even one long hair. I would hide my tracks well.

I was almost to the airport. Several cars in front of me blew off red lights but after spending two weeks in Miami I was used to it. Either you got used to it quickly or you didn't. But if you didn't get used to it, your horn would probably run out a month after you got your car.

I wiped the heel of my hand across my eyes. I was tired. I had woken up early so I could catch an early flight and now the pale dawn light was creeping up on the horizon. I just really wanted to see what Cammie looked like in her pajamas. I laughed to myself and pulled into the parking space. I was showing up at Cammie's grandparent's farm, out in the middle of nowhere. What could go wrong? Apparently, a lot of things.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys! I'm trying to make this chapter longer than my past chapters. Those I know were pretty short! Sorry! Anyways, thanks to everyone for reading my book and I can't believe I already have had over 100 visitors! Thank you all and I will try and update as quickly as I possibly can. I'm going to try and start typing another chapter tonight too. Thanks again and sorry for the shortness! **

**Chapter 4**

Cammie POV

My first thought when I wake up is about the COC. But I'm groggy and as the details of the chase through the farm register in my mind I don't fully comprehend that they're real. It seemed to me as though it were just a dream but as I sit up and shake my head to clear it, reality kicks in. Oh My GOSH! It wasn't a dream! Where are grandma and grandpa? Are they okay? Where am I? The COC must have captured me. Strangely, I can't remember a thing about that.

I was pretty sure I was in some sort of holding cell. However, I had woken in the dark so I couldn't see much. As my eyes became used to the dark though, I began to make out objects. It seemed to be some type of large bathroom. I was lying on the carpet. There was a toilet and a dark patch off to my right that I assumed was the shower. I carefully checked to make sure the toilet seat was down and then sat on it and thought.

Soon my eyes began to get so used to the dark enclosure that I could make out a black sink. The feel of it told me it was probably black marble.

I began to feel the sides of the walls. I even stood on the toilet hoping to feel a vent. I came up short. There was nothing in the bathroom. All I had to do now was wait_. At leas_t, I thought, _I can go to the bathroom when I need to._

Hours passed. I was getting hungry. I wondered if somebody had noticed me gone by now. My mom would have gotten worried when I didn't answer my cell phone and prob- _Wait! _I thought. _Duh! My cell phone! _I reached into my coat pocket and withdrew my empty hand. Dang! They had taken my cell phone and by the feel of my other pockets all my other belongings.

Of course, my zipper had been ripped off (a laser), my watch removed (laser, flame thrower, and of course nearly everything else. It didn't just tell time.), and the strings from my hoodie had been yanked out. This I at first didn't get. Did the strings do something super cool? Then I realized they could be rope.

The next realization hit me hard to. If they didn't want me to have rope that meant that they didn't want me to climb and if they didn't want me to climb it must mean that there was something in here!

2 Hours Later

I had searched the room from top to bottom with no luck. Of course the light would have helped but since I didn't have light I tried not to dwell to much on that. I would have been able to get some light with my new Itouch I had gotten for Christmas from my mom, but they had taken that to. However, my Itouch was locked with a special password. The numbers are completely random but I still won't say what they are just in case this falls into well, evil hands. I also could listen to some music which always helps calm me down but that crazy woman (in my head, believe me, I didn't say **woman**) had completely stripped me of everything!

My neck was getting cramped so I rolled my shoulders and neck and they cracked satisfyingly.

I had tried the door of course, but with no results. It's locked and as far as I could tell, sealed shut with five locks and a deadbolt. _Huh, at least they didn't underestimate me, _is all I can think that sounds at least remotely good. I sigh and slide down the cold wall.

2 Hours Later

I must have drifted off because as I woke up my eyes were so unused to the dark I couldn't even make out the toilet. I crawl over to where the toilet should be and even when I'm sure I'm only inches from it I can't see it. Confused, I reach out for it and I can't find it. Then, I realize I must have been moved.

Somehow I must have been drugged while I was asleep and now I'm in a strange room. _Great, _I think. _At least I was familiar with the old room_. Now, I'm going to have to search this new room again and that was going to be especially hard because my stomach was now growling with hunger.

I remember the last time I ate. It must have been breakfast yesterday. My mouth waters as I remember the cookies grandma offered me just yesterday.

I'm sure I must have slept through the night when I was first captured and my internal clock tells me it's now exactly 4:00 PM, Wednesday.

I stand up wearily and stretch. I crack all of my fingers and silently begin my sweep of the room.

1 Hour Later

I finish my sweep of the room and come up with nothing. The only thing I'm sure about is that this time I'm in some kind of study. There's a desk in the corner of the room with a lamp pointing over it. Unfortunately, the lamp is dead. It's bulb is gone (I'll bet you five bucks they don't use the Earth friendly type) and the plug has been cut off. The switch is also mangled beyond control.

I sigh and sit down on the old desk chair that's rolled into the desk. I'm not tired but by now I'm painfully hungry. I keep thinking of those cookies. Those sweet, chocolate chip oatmeal cookies.

I roll my head on my shoulders and lean back into the musty chair. I have searched for light switches of course, but the one that there is so dead I don't even try it. Most of its wires have been cut and pulled out of the wall anyway. It only hangs there by two flimsy wires and some tape.

The door is firmly locked like the bathroom's door was and it's so thick not even sound probably escapes it. It doesn't matter anyways. It's not like I'm going to be talking to anyone. And of course, I refuse to even try talking to myself.

There isn't even a crack at the bottom of the door. There isn't a vent in sight and I'm starting to become dehydrated. I lean against the chair's back and begin to cry silently.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Zach POV

My plane lands an hour and forty-five minutes later. I spend most of the time on the plane relaxing, and imagining Cammie. Unfortunately, that's a little hard to do when your squished between one large woman who seems determined to fill as much of both her seat and my own and another man who while is not large is not exactly skinny either. He's wearing a toupee that makes him look like a modern Elvis Presley and commercial white clothes. I mean he literally shines.

I tried asking him if I could switch seats with him so I could look out the window but he says no. I make an attempt with the large woman as well, telling her that I have a small bladder and might need to go to the bathroom several times. She only gives me the evil eye.

Even though I could flip both of them out of their seats and launch both of them forwards to the very front of the plane I'm trying not to draw attention to myself so instead I lean back and close my eyes. I know I won't be able to fall asleep though. I pull the sides of my headrest closer and imagine how my next few days with Cammie will play out.

Halfway through the flight I'm offered a glass of water or soda and I accept with a mischievous smile at the lady sitting next to me. She just glares at me and asks for some wine. Very, very strong wine.

Through the rest of the flight I get up several times to go to the restroom even though most of the time I don't have to. I think about how I'll tell Cammie about this interesting episode on the plane. I can hear her laugh even now.

1 Hour Later

I had to spend a half hour in line at the rental car check out line. Once I finally get to the garage I'm given two choices. A red Toyota or a silver Volvo. Instinct tells me to go for the Volvo but since it's just a pleasure trip I go with the red Toyota.

Of course, I might stand out a little in rural Tennessee but it's not like the Circle's going to crash down the door of Cammie's grandparent's farm just because they've found my rental car. I laugh at the idea. No. Mother likes to take things to extremities, that's for certain, but that. That would be absolutely ridiculous. I shake my head, still laughing and hop into the Toyota.

30 Minutes Later

I'm almost at Cammie's grandparent's house. All of a sudden I'm nervous. What if they don't approve of me. Of course, Cammie's told me that they don't know the secret about me or her so they probably will… but doubt lingers at the back of my mind. I love Cammie and I hope they can see that.

The farm is just around the bend and all of a sudden I get a really bad feeling. Something's wrong. It's to quiet. Cammie's told me that there are two dozen chickens and yet, there's not a chicken in sight. There isn't a squawk, a screech, a trill… nothing. I'm uneasy as I round the bend to Cammie's grandparent's farm.

Then, I see the wreckage. The front door has been slammed down and that's basically all you can see of the farm. The rest has been burned down. "Oh no," is all I can get out. I walk forward. The entire farm is pretty much gone.

_Was it a horrible fire and the fire truck couldn't get out here fast enough? Did Cammie get out? Did her grandparent's? _Somewhere in my heart I know the answers to all these questions.

It wasn't just a regular fire. It was a fire made by…. My mouth forms the words but none come out. The Circle of Cavan. They did this. My **mom** did this.

Hatred boils up in me, strong and mad. I let out an earsplitting scream in my attempt to vent my hatred into something else. It doesn't work. Furious, I set myself to the task of searching the farm and then finding the COC and hunting them down, hunting every last one of them down. Especially, my mother.

Trembling with rage, I begin my search.

1 Hour 30 Minutes Later

I've searched everywhere. I even went into the creaky farm searching. But the farm is going to collapse and it seems unlikely they would have left any survivors. I search the chicken coop to but that's been burned down as well and all the chickens have fled.

The ashes are getting to my throat though. I cough and it sounds disgusting. Like someone who's been smoking for the past six years. I shudder and quickly check out the front drive.

The smell of burning rubber is still there but it's fading fast. I can see skid marks and a plow of tire tracks going through the black ashes and then abruptly they fade. But it's enough. Enough to know which direction they were going.

I hop into the Toyota and wish I had gotten the Volvo now more than ever. But I won't stop. I rev the engine and zoom down the dirt path, where tire tracks are only just visible. I zoom down that path, straight to Cammie.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Cammie POV

I slouch in the old desk chair. I know I must have cried myself to sleep because it's so dark and this doesn't feel real. In a few seconds I know reality will kick in but for the few seconds that I have I try and remain in blissful ignorance.

Zach POV

I'm in the red Toyota heading in what I hope is the right direction to get to Cammie. I come to my first fork in the road. Left or right. Right or left. I stop the car and slump in my seat. I can only hope I will choose the right path.

Disheartened I get out of the car and search the ground. The memory of the tire tracks by the farm has been burned into my mind and as I see some tracks, my heart lifts. They're going to the left but they're not the same as the ones at the farm.

I check out the right side. At first, I don't see anything, but then I see some dirt has been carelessly thrown onto the side of the road. Then, I look again. The dirt hasn't been tossed! It was thrown to the side by the tires of the cars!

I look closely at the ground. There are faint impressions there that match the tracks at the farm.

I get back in the car and shoot away thinking, _"I'm coming for you Cammie. Don't worry, I'm coming."_

Cammie POV

The few moments of bliss are gone. Reality comes crashing down on me with cold iron fist.

I shove my eyes open and immediately close them. There's the glare of light. Hardly believing it I squint my eyes and put my hand over them. Yes, there's light but it's not sunlight like I had hoped. It's a lamp coming from above. I squint at it. It's also a fan but the blades aren't turning.

I jam my hands in my pockets and wait for my eyes to become used to the glare of the lamp.

Zach POV

I'm almost there, I can feel it. I've been driving for hours and my legs are stiff.

I still have half a tank of gas but I can feel the car slowing. Why? My foot has been sliding off the gas pedal for several minutes now.

I'm on a path that hardly seems used and nobody's in sight. I slide onto the side of the road and slouch down. I'm exhausted. Surely, it will be okay to take a little nap… CAMMIE! Her name seems to be shouting in my head. Then reason overcomes me. I can't save her when I'm so tired. Gradually, I sink into my chair and slowly sleep rolls over me like a black fog…

Cammie POV

I've hardly had time to get used to my surroundings when the steel door opens and slams shut with a ring of finality that echoes in my ears. I hear the click of heels on the cold floor and then the chair in front of me rolls forward and **she** sits in it.

I hardly notice these things though. There's a ringing in my right ear and my stomach is growling. My throat is dry and my lips are cracked. The woman sits and stares at me. I don't care.

She says something but to try and hear it is beyond me. I sit there and say nothing. She continues to say things but I don't even make an effort to hear her. Pretty soon she's yelling. I wince. Her voice is to high. She shouts for something and that's the last I hear before I black out.

Zach POV

I'm rising out of sleep and I fight it. Sleep is good.

And there's something there. In wakefulness. Something I should worry about that I don't want to have to worry about. Despite my efforts, my mind begins to probe gently. What is it? What is it?

I groan and snap into full wakefulness. Cammie! Oh my gosh! I can't believe I slept for… I look at the clock, three hours! I groan softly and slump in my seat.

"Crap, crap, crap!" I yell loudly and jam my seatbelt on. I start the engine and the last traces of grogginess lift. I start forward.

Cammie POV

In my dream I'm sitting at the table. Grandma and grandpa or eating breakfast with me. And next to me, the person that I love as much as any immediate family. Zach. He's eating his oatmeal with his familiar smile in place. His green eyes twinkle as he catches me staring at him.

He finishes spooning his oatmeal into his mouth and scrapes the plate clean. Then, he looks at me and licks the plate clean. I laugh. It's a good thing my grandparents aren't sticklers for table manners. They smile when I laugh and Zach smiles and sets his plate by the sink.

I spoon the rest of my oatmeal eagerly into my mouth and he grins as he watches me try and finish my oatmeal as quickly as I can. He leans against the sink and I finish, get up and place my plate next to his. I lean into him and give a quick peck on the cheek. Then, I turn and ask my grandparents if we can be excused.

Next thing I know I'm awake. For a second reality is the dream and the dream is reality. I wonder stupidly where I am. Then, I remember and my heart aches as I realize that Zach wasn't real.

I lean back and realize I'm in a different room now. The lights flicker on, surprising me. A man comes into the room and I swallow down my dry throat.

This time I can hear what he says. His voice is soft like velvet and he's asking me questions but I can't respond. My throat hurts. I point towards it desperately and he says, "You can have food when you answer my questions." I shake my head and point to my throat. Then I hold my hand in front of me and use it to mime talking. I shake my head again and point to my throat. The man sighs and gets up.

I sit back and watch him walk away. He doesn't come back.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys! Thanks for being patient! I haven't been posting but to make up for it I'm going to try and post at least 2 chapters today! Thanks! Also, I know this might seem like a short story but I can make it longer if you guys want! If you want me to make it longer or leave it and make a sequel please write a review telling me which one you guys want! Thanks so much and I can't believe I have this many people reading my story! You guys are AWESOME!**

**Chapter 7**

Cammie POV

The man had left the room. My head swam and I slump in my chair. I was tired. But I was to hungry to succumb to sleep.

I knew I must be hallucinating when Zach popped into the room. One second the air's empty, and settled, the next Zach has appeared smiling his regular smile, green eyes twinkling, and saying, "Hey Gallagher Girl." I want to reply to him but I can't. He's still standing there and so I close my eyes and rest my forehead on the cool steel table. When I open my eyes, he's gone. Just like I knew he would be.

I can feel myself just barely hanging on to life. My thread to life has been slowly worn down until all that's there is a piece of thin cord, broken by the slightest twitch. I'm scared to fall asleep. Scared that if I do I'll never wake up. But, it's almost impossible. \

I turn around and there's a mirror there. I know it's a one way mirror. The kind where you can see through one side but not the other. I know they are watching me. I turn to the mirror and muster all my energy. "Water," I manage to croak out.

Nobody comes. I finally give in. Sleep pulls me under.

Zach POV

I can see the facility up ahead. It's secured in the trees and as I approach I slow. It's hidden well. Off the beaten track. On the road less traveled. But I found it. I close my eyes for a moment, preparing myself for what I have to do.

Zach POV

I'm ready. I know there will be lots of security around the building so I back out of the path and drive past it. I park my car in the nearby hospital's parking lot. I climb out of the red Toyota and walk casually up to the road where I know the building is.

This is it. I try giving myself a pep talk. _"You can do this. Think about Cammie. You're doing this for her." _

I've now come to the path. I casually walk up it, pulling up the hood on my camouflage jacket and keeping my head down. I walk past leafy branches and water drips onto my clothes from an earlier rain. I stop a couple of times to wipe the water from my jacket, trying to seem casual.

As I pause, I look up as if trying to see where the water came from. Really, I'm pinpointing the cameras. I know there are probably a lot more that I can't see but I manage to find seven of them. Four of them are pointing my way and I slow myself and take on a slight limp. That way nobody will realize its me. I have learned to disguise my walk so that I don't seem like myself. My normal arrogant stride is pretty easy to spot so the need to learn how to disguise my walk had become number one on my list. Then, I got to Blackthorne.

Blackthorne is a school for well, assassins. Cammie knows and probably Liz, Bex, and Macey know. They are after all, her best friends. But enough. I'm trying to stage a rescue mission here.

I keep walking and after awhile I pretend as if I have just seen the building for the first time. I stare in wonder and then hurry to the building. There's no visible entrance that I can see but I know there's one.

I keep up my little charade and lean down as if I have seen something. Really, I'm putting on a face mask and color contacts. When I stand up I have completely changed. My face isn't the same and my eye color, normally making me easily identifiable, has changed to a bright blue. My hair has already been flattened by the rain and before I left I added pretend blonde streaks in it. Besides, I despise camouflage colors.

I look up and see my first camera (yeah right) I peer into it and say in a disguised voice, "Hello? Anybody home?" I wait for a few seconds then, "Guess not huh?" I turn and walk away.

I have already found the camera's blind spots and so I dive into position. I inch along the wall and freeze as a camera points at me. But I know I'm just out of it's range. It turns back and I slither away down the wall.


	8. Chapter 8

**Hi everyone! I posted a note in my last chapter about the length of this story. So far nobody has replied to that but I really want to know so I can base my next chapter on that idea. Thanks so much and I after I post this chapter I am going to wait until I get at least 3 reviews telling me what to do or wait 2-3 days to post something. Thanks and please review!**

**Chapter 8**

Cammie POV

Something was crashing in my ears. The sound hurt my sensitive ears. A few seconds later the sound stopped and I fell back into full sleep again.

Zach POV

I had made it to the corner of the wall. There was a hidden door here and I had been searching for it for several minutes. Vines had crept up the wall and hidden the door. Finally, I found the crease where the door was. I ran my hand down it until I came to a patch of vines that hid a keyhole. I pushed the vines put of the way and pulled out a paper clip.

I had learned how to pick locks at Blackthorne and so I picked this one with ease. It was old fashioned and about to fall apart anyway so one quick turn picked the lock. However, the door didn't open. It creaked a little but nothing else happened. Frustrated I shoved the door. Nothing. I began to crash into the door and still nothing happened. Finally, I backed up and ran at the door, bashing it with my shoulder. The door fell down with a heavy thump. So much for the element of surprise.

Unfortunately, as the door fell my momentum sent me crashing forward as well and I got a faceful of dirt. At first, I didn't really get it. Then, I thought _"Dirt?" _I got up and looked around.

I had never been through this secret passageway before though I knew Joe Solomon had. He was the one who had showed me it years ago. But we had never actually gone inside.

Now, I realized that I must be underground. I was in a tunnel of some sort. I wondered how I had gotten down. Then I turned around. "Dang it!" I muttered. My momentum had sent me not only sprawling in the dirt but also one level down. The door had gone with me and there was a hole in the floor above. Except, that I hadn't made that hole. I guess it was meant to be there to trap people. _"Well, good job," _I thought. _"You caught me." _

I decided to see where the tunnel went. Probably to a load of dead ends but I figured it was worth a try. No doubt there would be Circle staff down here any minute. They probably had some sort of alarm. I started down the passageway in total darkness. The tunnel was narrow so I was able to sweep the tips of my fingers along both sides. When my fingers hit empty space I knew there was another tunnel branching off. I had just come to my first tunnel when I heard several thuds and knew the Circle was here for me.

I hurried along the passageway trying to see. Running footsteps, close behind me echoed in the dark. But, they didn't have flashlights. _"Pretty dumb," _I thought. Then, I remembered I didn't have one myself. Well, I didn't know I was going into a tunnel.

I came to a fork in the road and instantly I knew what to do. The footsteps were getting closer and I knew I had to do something. I rushed to the tunnel on my right and flattened myself against the wall. The Circle was good, no doubt, but they weren't that good.

Seconds later men and women dressed in black to help camouflage themselves ran past me. They knew the tunnels well and didn't have to brush their fingers against the wall. That, or they had a map. I was guessing the latter.

The air settled and I ventured out. Then, I turned around and walked right back to where I had come from.

I propped the door against the wall and stepped on the old handle. Then I propelled myself on to the top of the door. Once there, I was just tall enough to grip the edge of the hole in the floor above me. I do a pull up (it's a good thing I had decided to work out this summer) and slide silently onto the cool tile floor.

I creep down the corridor and pass rooms with steel doors. Cammie could be hidden behind any of them. Then, I see a promising sight up ahead. A stack of papers, that look almost like brochures that have been folded up are sitting on top of a gray, metal desk. If I'm right, they're maps.

I hurry up to one of them and snag it off the top of the pile. At first glance, it's blank and my heart sinks. Then I see a little scanner in the corner. I peer at it. Written in small little letters are the words: 'Fingerprint Scan: Please Place Your Index Finger On Scanner Below. Wait Five Seconds Then Remove Finger. Map Will Appear'. I really want to try it but I have a feeling if I'm not admitted then I'll be found. Besides, I probably wouldn't be admitted anyways.

Instead, I run to one of the steel doors and walk in as if I own the place. Luckily, there's a man in a white lab coat in the room. I stride in and take a look around the room. I sniff, showing disdain. "Hello?" I call out in an arrogant tone. The man in the lab coat turns around. "Yes?" he asks timidly. I intimidate him. _"Ha!" _I think, _"A sixteen year old intimidates him? Wow! This guy is perfect!" _

I step forward regally and say, "My map's not working. It won't take my fingerprint. Here, you like sciency. Help me!" The guy cowers and holds out his hand for the map. His hand shakes as he takes it from me. "And hurry! I have an appointment in ten minutes and I can't find my way there. If I'm late I'll be beaten and you'll wish you'd never been born."

I kinda feel bad for the guy and I shudder to think what will happento him when my mother finds out he helped me. He does something to my map and offers it back to me. "I can't fix it now." He cowers as I look at him with fury in my eyes and then he says, "But until then, I've used my fingerprint to turn it on. As long as you don't close it, it should stay on. Come back later, and I'll fix it for you." I nod icily. "Thank you."

I close the door and walk down the hallway. I come to a small closet with janitorial supplies in it. Probably, these haven't been used in forever, I thinkas I examine the coat of dust layering the supplies. I sit down on an old bucket and begin my examination of the map.


End file.
